Family of firefighter who died battling Eyre Peninsula blaze pays tribute to 'great bloke'
The Country Fire Service has described Peter Curtis as a man who was "loved by all who knew him". (Supplied: Country Fire Service)
In short:
The family of a Country Fire Service firefighter who died in the line of duty has paid tribute to their loved one.
Peter Curtis, 65, died on Sunday afternoon while attending a scrub fire at Pinkawillinie Conservation Park on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula.
What's next?
The CFS says it will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.
Tributes are flowing for a firefighter who died while attending a scrub fire on the Eyre Peninsula over the weekend.
The Country Fire Service (CFS) confirmed Peter Curtis, 65, died on Sunday afternoon while attending the fire at Pinkawillinie Conservation Park.
The fire broke out as storms moved across South Australia on Saturday, causing significant damage in Port Pirie.
Crews arrived at the fire ground on Sunday morning.
Mr Curtis's cousin, Noel Curtis, described Peter as a "great bloke".
"He had a great sense of humour and was always in for a bit of mischief," he said.
Noel Curtis says his cousin was an "excellent, lovely fella" who was respected in the Wirrabara community. (ABC North and West SA: George Yankovich)
"When we were younger we'd do a lot of motorbike riding around ... we got to know the areas, which comes in handy when you've got fires to deal with.
"We got the bad news about midnight that night. It was a real shock, we weren't expecting it, that's for sure."
Mr Curtis said Peter had had "good standing" within the Wirrabara community.
"Inside the golf and tennis club he was involved heavily ... he had a keen interest in anything to do with flowering plants and fruit trees," Mr Curtis said.
"He lived his life clean and tidy and helped everybody as much as he could.
"He was an excellent, lovely fella. He'll be sadly missed, that's for sure."
Peter Curtis's friend and CFS colleague Greg Pech said Peter was the "go-to man" if anything was happening in the forest.
Greg Pech outside his business, the Wirrabara Farm Service, with a flag he lowered to half mast. (ABC North and West SA: George Yankovich)
"He was a bloke you could trust," Mr Pech said.
"Just a very hard worker and he also ran an orchard and a very good veggie garden.
"He was famous for his peaches, cherries and apricots."
Mr Pech said the Wirrabara community was shocked by the death.
"I actually put the flag up half mast for people who have passed away," he said.
"When I put it up for Pete, people came in and asked who it was, and walked away in shock and disbelief."
On Monday, SA CFS chief officer Brett Loughlin said Mr Curtis had been a much-loved and deeply respected member of the National Parks and Wildlife Service brigade.
Brett Loughlin at a media conference announcing the death of firefighter Peter Curtis. (ABC News)
"Peter was a caring and considerate person, loved by all who knew him," Mr Loughlin said.
"His loss will be felt profoundly across our organisations and the broader community."
Mr Loughlin said the incident would be investigated.